Customer Reviews

Silver's Edge (Reader's Choice)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I loved this book. It's an eyes-glued-to-the-page story of politics and war between three realms in a world not unlike Dark Ages Britain or Ireland. The silver caul that once held the Sidhe, the goblins, and the humans in their own little worlds is missing; now the three races are thrown back together for reasons unknown, and chaos ensues. The story focuses around several young women struggling to survive in this chaotic situation. I loved it--it's rare that a book about political intrigue really does surprise me and pull the rug out from under my feet. You don't know who to trust. A character can be presented as very sympathetic and then turn out to be otherwise--and vice versa. Few authors can really fool the reader like that. Anne Kelleher can.

I just wish I'd known this was a series! Yeah, I know everything has to be a trilogy these days, but I didn't know Silver's Edge wasn't a standalone! I stayed up late into the night to finish this, only to be greeted with those three fateful words--"To Be Continued"! I want the second book NOW!

This book has done what few can in my estimation. It became my friend. I missed the characters when I was away from them, and find myself wondering about them even now, having read two other books since Silver's Edge. I became so engaged that I've toyed with the possibility of becoming a blacksmith, and making silver-edged swords! I am a voracious reader, love this fantasy/sci-fi/otherworld/adventure genre, and have waded through a lot of mediocre books. That is NOT the case with this wonderful piece of literature. Ms Kelleher has woven a magnificent background of location as fantastical as Tolkein's Middle Earth while crafting a weft out of characters large and small, magical, mundane, even inspirational into a fabric that reads like silk feels; ethereal, divine, exquisite!

Imagine being holed up in a castle, surrounded by a horde of hungry goblins, and as you ready yourself for the bloody horror of your own certain death, you see, storming down from the heavens, the spirits of screaming naked women armed with teeth and nails and knives and cleavers, who proceed to slaughter the goblins with such ferocity you almost feel sorry them.

Wow. I don't know where this book came from, but buy yourself a copy. Anne Kelleher has created a world so real you smell it; a world that's a luscious mix of Celtic myth, Arthurian legend, the heroic tradition and modern paganism fused by a lyrical writing style.

To give you just an example of the characters who populate this place, Nessa, the blacksmith's daughter, isn't your typical fantasy heroine - her hands are calloused, her shoulders are broad and she doesn't clean up much ever. Every scene tempts you further and further into this richly complex story, building crescendo upon crescendo. Silver's Edge has all the color of Lord of the Rings, the punch of a Springsteen concert, and the sound of poetry running through the prose. I can't wait to read the sequel.

I didn't just read this book, I devoured it! I became so engrossed in this world of sidhe, "corn" magic, goblins, and powerful women, that I read at white heat, on through the night, only to discover those wonderfully cruel words "to be continued"

Anne Kelleher took me by the hand and dragged me gasping, moaning, laughing and crying through a land of turmoil as powerful magic, forged in silver, tenuously holds three worlds apart, keeping separate faery, humans, and goblins. Through the eyes of powerful and engaging characters, I witnessed mesmerizing beauty, horrible carnage, bravery, magic, and moments of heartbreaking tenderness. The storytelling is so enthralling, and so detailed, it was easy to visualize myself falling into this world to fight goblins alongside Nessa, or stepping through mirrors with Delphinea.

Now I'm waiting in agony for the sequel, "Silver's Bane" to arrive in the mail...

This is not the type of book that I read regularly, but I have read other books by Ms. Kelleher and enjoyed them. Without question, this is her best work thus far. The characters are rich and complex - I found myself caring about them and wondering what would happen to them next. Much of this book sets the stage for the next book - I wish they could all just be published and read at once!

Ms. Kelleher has the rare talent of transporting her readers to a place where only her imagination can take you. The sights, sounds, and even smells are glorious in their vividness. I can't wait for the sequel.

This was the first Luna imprint book I read, and I'm glad I started with this one, or I may have been turned off by other Luna books. The whole imprint is sort of hit-or-miss with me. Anyway, "Silver's Edge" was a great book! There was suspense, tons of action, and I always love books set in Faerie.

For me, the best part of this book was how the author would set you up only to totally surprise you. People that I thought were good characters with pure motivations ended up being the real villians. It was nice to read a book with twists like this.

I would recommend buying this one and having it's sequel, "Silver's Bane," close at hand!

It's been years since I've read anything in this genre, but I picked up Silver's Edge on a whim and was glad I did. Great story that moves well and entertains. Kelleher has a beautiful, lyric voice that's worth reading just for the poetry of it. Top shelf fantasy uses timeless mythic themes to underpin a story that's competely fresh and new. Not an easy challenge, but SE manages to do both. Hope she keeps 'em coming.

The goblins ate human and Sidhe flesh before banishment to the Wastelands and are prevented from leaving by the Silver Caul made by a mortal silversmith with fairy magic. Goblins were not seen in the realm of man or Fairy for centuries until one washed ashore on the land of man on the same day that Neesa's father, the town's silversmith, disappeared. Determined to find him, Neesa takes off her silver amulet that wards off goblins and crosses to the OtherWorld where she meets a handsome Sidhe who promises to help her if she waits for him in her own realm.

Trouble is brewing in the Shadow Land (the world of man) because a mad king sits on the throne and his wife's relatives are willing to go to war to annex the realm.. A noble is willing to plunge the country into civil war to prevent that from happening since he should be the king's heir. Both Sidhe and princess ally themselves to one another to achieve their goals, which is not beneficial for Shadow Land or Otherworld. While man and fairy work together both for good and evil purposes; the evil goblins prepare to overrun the world of man and have a feast they have been denied for centuries.

Anne Kelleher has written a fantastic epic fantasy that grabs the attention of the reader who is unable to put the book down until the last page is turned. This is only the first book in a series because many questions remain unanswered and several characters still have roles to play in the saga. Although there is only a slight amount of romance in SILVER'S EDGE, the path is paved for certain liaisons to come to fruition in future installments.

Harriet Klausner

This is the first of a two book series. I'm putting that out there first since it wasn't obvious to me when I researched the book on-line or when I bought it.

The new Luna publishing line of Harlequin is meant to blend romance and fantasy. The balance is much more towards fantasy in this particular novel, though, and I could have used a little more romantic interaction.

The plot is about a world divided into three basic parts - the mortal realm, the goblin realm, and the faerie realm. The goblins are shut out of both other realms, and silver (the bane of faeries) is shut out of the faerie realm. So, everything seems to be great for mortals and faeries until the delicate balancing act that keeps all these barriers up starts to fail. Several plot threads are followed as characters in the mortal and faerie realm try to deal with the rising turmoil.

I gave this book four stars mainly for the fabulous world creation. The mortal world is very Celtic in culture, and the author weaves in druids, mortal "corn" magic, medieval life, political jockeying well. The faerie world is also fully fleshed out - the inhabitants are neither omnipotent nor too human nor uselessly self-serving as in many novels of the genre. The faerie world is also where the best intrigue lies.

The only drawbacks of the novel is that it is not as emotionally potent as it could be, and some of the characters seem not to be so well fleshed out. But, with two more novels, maybe that won't be the case by the end.

A good read - I'd recommend it highly, especially to those looking for a dose of celtic folklore.

Once again, Anne has written a tale that has me completely absorbed. I dove into it, and travelled with the characters, I was THERE. I appreciate the thought Anne puts into her characters, how she develops them, and how they interact with each other and their environments. Yes, of course I have my favorites, and folk I don't like so much -- and that's part of what makes the book so spell-binding. What will happen next? Such is the power of Anne's writing. She keeps the reader involved. The writing shows that Anne has done much research into mythology, particularly Celtic. Again, I hold in high regard an author who researches prior to writing. Anne's characters are not stereotypical fluttery feminine nor ever so masculine, either. Her women are women of substance, capable of thought, and some tend toward outspoken. The men - some are strong, some are not, some are better thinkers; each person is an individual. Each character is capable of good and "bad" behaviors, and all are able to make mistakes. The characters in Silver's Edge are not perfect, and this is what makes them so approachable by the reader.
The plot was developed quite well, and organized so as to not be confusing, despite the fact that the story takes place in different dimensions/worlds. This is a mark of an excellent author. I enjoyed the flow, the twists, and the entire storyline. The book concludes logically, not abruptly; yet we know there will be more in the future.
I am eager for the next book, but in the meantime will read this one again!